Pulse
by Madame Rhapsodos
Summary: The Gods created the Earth, they destroyed it. Welcome to Pulse, Hume's to the right, Aegyl to the left.


It is said that Pulse was not always known as Pulse, that it had been once known as Earth and was born of chaos, the Gods coming together and sifting through the elements to create the perfect world. Lore says that this had been attempted many times before, with each planet either failing to sustain life, or having life forms that were primitive by their standards and did not respect the work the Gods had done.

The Gods themselves lived separately from their planets, not in physicality but through a rift in time and space, in another dimension. However, this time they had decided to live parallel with their creation, on top of the world, but shielded by space itself.

They christened this alternate reality Lemurés, and it was from here that they fashioned Hume's and the Aegyl alike.

Both were fashioned with a likeness to the Gods themselves, however with one vital difference between the two; the Aegyl could herald Magick whereas the Hume's could not. The Gods had learnt from previous mistakes the effect of allowing the creatures to wield Magick, and had mourned the destruction of the planet as numerous wars for complete control broke out over the lands surface. The Aegyl, too, were to have wings as a way of being able to move between Earth and Lemurés.

Their purpose was to walk among the Hume's, not letting on of their existence and to ensure the planet would remain safe from their imperfections. And so it was done.

There were two rules;  
One: The Hume's were not to know of the Aegyl's existence.  
Two: The Aegyl and Hume were to remain as two different races, they were not to mate. If a Hume were to be born of the two races, having gained the Aegyl's Magick and wings as well as the Hume's selfish heart, it could be potentially catastrophic for the world as they knew it.

The Earth prospered, and for many years the heavens smiled at their wondrous creation and the perfection it showed.

That was until the rules were broken.

Vincent Valentine was average looking to the Hume's eyes. In reality, he was the only son of Gabriel Valentine, one of the 10 nobility. He fell in love with a Hume; Serah Thornfeld and together they had a child.

The punishment for having broken the rules laid down by the Gods was death.

However, with Vincent's high standing as the son of a noble, they could not execute him for fear of backlash from the Aegyl. Instead, they executed Serah and her child, to serve as a reminder to the Aegyl of the consequences of mingling blood.

Heartbroken at the loss of his lover and only child, Vincent swore revenge on the Gods for taking them away from him and began what is known as The Revolution. He began a campaign, turning the Aegyl against the Gods, and revealing their existence to the Hume's.

Over the course of 25 years, the Earth was torn apart by civil war. The land became barren, the sheer amount of bloodshed turning the ground red.

Eventually, as famine overtook the Earth, the Gods took their revenge on those who had survived and created a new land for them, with a new purpose. The Hume's and Aegyl were to be kept on this land, but be seperated by class.

The Aegyl kept their place on the right hand side of the Gods, however the Hume's were downgraded. They had failed as a civilization and had to pay the price in servitude.

They called this new land 'Demesne,' the Earth, it is said, they renamed Pulse.

As the hands of time washed over Pulse, it began sustaining life again. But the lifeforms that rose from the bloodstained land were different to the species whom had resided there prior. They were mutated by Magick, and much stronger than anything Pulse had ever seen before. The sky, once blue, was bleached in tones of orange and purple as these mutations claimed the land. Forming packs and becoming an unstoppable force of nature.

And so, that was how Pulse and Demesne came to be.

With the knowledge of the God's existence, and that of the Aegyl, the time-space rift dissipated. Allowing freedom of access to any who wished (for any Godforsaken reason) to travel down to Pulse and rove the formidable landscape. Of course, however, there were areas of Pulse kept restricted. What was known as Britain was rumoured to have been overtaken by a rather vicious breed of Dragons and was guarded by an elite team of warrior Aegyl as to prevent any Hume or Aegyl gaining access to the land.

Many questioned why the Gods had even kept Pulse to begin with, and had not obliterated its existence after The Resistance movement, and the reason was this: It served as a reminder to both the Aegyl and Hume alike of the consequences of breaking the rules.

Very few had the strength, or courage to travel to Pulse, the beasts that could face them a match even to the Aegyl. Yet, the Hume's, as to repent for their wrongdoing consented to travelling there to source foodstuffs that could not be acquired on Demesne, as due to the sudden onslaught of Magickal beasts springing forth from the planet's core, it also became home to enchanted plants that would grow nowhere else.

These plants varied in their properties and usefulness to the Hume, for example, the Abies Milleri was a type of fir now common on Pulse. This plant, when stripped, could be dried out and used to create bows and arrows that would never miss. Hume's were typically expected to gather these sorts of materials and bring them up to Demesne to be crafted into weapons for the Aegyl.

The Hume, of course, were issued tools and weapons in accordance to their position socially and their jobs.

The hunters were issued standard weapons tailored to their strengths.

For example, a hunter whose primary talent was that of aim, would receive a standard issue bow and a hunting knife.

Matthew Bellamy was one of these hunters.

He'd been born on Demesne long after its creation, his mother a seamstress, his father long dead.

Not much was known of his father, he had died when he was just a boy. The little Matthew did know, was that it had been a terrible accident, the incident the main reason section B was closed off.

Such as was often in the Hume families, Matthew took up his father's role as head of the household when he was 18, and fulfilled the role of hunter. Travelling down to Pulse to gather important materials and bring food home for the people of his area.

Pulse, to Matthew, was like a second home. He did not see its lands or inhabitants as dangerous anymore than Demesne was dangerous for him. The way he saw it, was that Pulse was only a danger to those who did not respect her and had no knowledge of her lands and the beasts she hid.

He'd made that mistake the first time he'd travelled there.

_Climbing into the big steel crate had been one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. The Aegyl prodding him in the back to keep moving. He took the seat deep in the corner of the box, exchanging a nervous, tight lipped smile with the dark haired man opposite._

"_First time?" the man had asked, Matthew's head jerking sharply._

"_Yeah." He rubbed his thumb over an all too familiar engraving on the bow in his hands, it had been his fathers, before the accident, and all they'd been able to salvage._

"_Don't worry yourself, sector A is relatively safe in terms of beasties," he'd said, his kind brown eyes looking deep into Matthew's own, "Pulse is like a fine woman," he'd continued, "respect her, and she'll respect you."_

"_Is it really as dangerous as people say it is?" he asked, his thumb still working over the engraving._

"_No more as dangerous as Demesne," he winked._

_The carrier began moving then, the deep grumbling of its gears causing the ground at his feet to vibrate, he'd cat it a panicked glance, but the other man's relaxed posture put him at ease. Clearly it was a natural occurrence._

_The rest of the journey passed in a comfortable silence, the chatter and laughter of the other hunters more intriguing than anything he'd ever witnessed. As the craft began its descent, the man spoke again, "your fathers?" he asked, nodding towards the bow clutched tightly in Matthew's hands._

"_Yes..." he replied quietly, the carrier doors opening to reveal the foreign land beyond, the hunters filing out one by one._

_The man smiled sympathetically as they both rose to leave, "he was a great hunter, and his death was a tragedy for us all."_

_Matthew froze at the lip of the carrier as the other man disappeared into the throng of hunters, 'He knew father?'_

_His shocked thoughts were rudely interrupted by an irritated Aegyl prodding him forward._

_The smells had been overwhelming at first, the smell of smoke still heavy in the air even hundreds of years later, the heavy tang of magick floating on the breeze and making his hair stand on end. 'So the stories are true,' he thought excitedly, 'Demesne isn't the only place that is home to magick.'_

_His first steps from the carrier were cautious, his boots crunching softly over the cracked asphalt underfoot. The sky overhead was a deep, burnt orange, like autumn leaves, long smudges of grey streaking the horizon like an aeroplane trail._

_He followed the asphalt road forward with interest, on Demesne, the Hume sector was simply golden dirt roads, the Aegyl sector paved with cobblestone. His feet became more accustomed to the uneven terrain, climbing over rocks that blocked his path, running his fingers through the tall grass that sprang forth through the cracks._

_As he followed the road, buildings began rising up around him, or rather, the ruins of buildings scorched black with age, the crumbling walls making it almost impossible to determine what this ancient civilization could have once looked like. He'd become so wrapped up in his own thoughts that his brain failed to register the tapping behind him until it was too late._

_A grumbling growl sounded behind him and he turned, the scaled beast behind him crouching low to the ground and springing forward, launching itself through the short space between them, pinning Matthew to the asphalt with razor-like claws. The beast was similar to a lion in stature, its spiked tail lashing around furiously as a roar ripped forth from its throat. _

_The pebbles dug into his back sharply as his fingers scrabbled for his belt and the hunting knife sheathed there, turning his cheek into the ground as the beasts hot breath washed over his face. He gagged as the stench of rotten flesh combined with the heady scent of magick washed over him. His fingers finally closed around the handle of his knife as the beast reared back to strike._

_He ripped the blade free and with a sweeping motion, rammed the knife into the side of the creatures neck. The beast recoiled and gave a howl of agony and fury as it lashed its tail furiously, Matthew scrambling to his feet and quickly hooking an arrow onto his bow before taking aim at the animals head and letting the arrow fly._

_The arrow sailed over the beasts shoulder and he swore loudly, quickly reaching for another arrow._

"_Arrows ain't gonna do you much good!" a voice behind him shouted. Matthew spinning wildly to find the source of the voice, the arrow still in place._

"_That's a Chimera, she doesn't take too kindly to arrows." The voice continued, "What you need, is to get that knife back."_

_His eyes roved over the buildings frantically, trying to locate the voice, "Then what do I do?!" He shouted back, his voice panicked._

"_The rib cage!" the voice called, "there's a fleshy spot there. It covers its heart. Aim there."_

_The Chimera growled viciously, and prowled forward on its haunches, its dull, silver heckles raised._

_Matthew eyed it warily, his legs tense, the voice had fallen silent, presumably watching from his or her vantage point in the ruins around him. The beast lunged toward him with a yowl, Matthew darting forward and diving underneath its body, his hands reaching up and grasping hold of the knife still buried in the Chimeras neck. With a sharp tug, it came free, the blade covered in a thick, viscous green liquid, its blood._

_Gasping with exhileration and adrenaline, Matthew rolled to the side, getting to his feet in one fluid movement._

_The Chimera howled and turned back to face him, the tiny man clutching the handle of the knife so tightly his knuckles threatened to burst through his skin._

_His heart hammered its way into his mouth as he leant forward on his toes, diving forwards before the beast had time to react. He dropped to his knees and slid under the beasts front paws, reaching up with a warrior cry and slamming the knife as hard as he could into the fleshy skin above him._

_The beast reared up with a yowl before slamming its paws back down into the asphalt centimetres from his face. Matthew sucked a breath through his teeth and darted out from beneath the Chimera, dodging the lashing tail threatening to take him out._

_As the final death throes overtook the creature, it sank to the ground with a thud, a small cloud of dust exploding up around its fallen body._

_Matthew edged toward the now limp Chimera and reclaimed his knife before doubling over and being sick._

_A firm hand slapped his back as he heaved, his eyes streaming as the acrid taste of bile burned its way up his throat._

"_That's it mate, get it all up." The voice murmured, rubbing between his shoulder blades. Panting, he straightened up and wiped his hand across his mouth, his face burning in shame._

"_Don't be embarrassed, it's your first time right?" Matthew nodded silently and took in the man before him with a critical gaze. He was short, but taller than he, with an even, tanned complexion and dark, closely cropped hair. His hands were calloused, evidently someone who had hunted often and was used to manual labour, despite looking no older than Matthew himself._

_The other man shifted from foot to foot restlessly, his inquisitive brown eyes watching Matthew closely._

"_I'm Tom," he grinned, shoving a worn hand into one of Matthews own._

"_Matthew." He mumbled, squeezing Tom's hand a little uncertainly._

"_Well then, Matthew, how about you clean off that knife before the Chimera blood eats through the blade and let's skidaddle. You don't want to be here if any more turn up, trust me."_

'_Eats through the blade?!' Matthew thought in shock, his eyes flicking to the knife in his hand before he rubbed it gracelessly on the coat of the fallen Chimera._

_He collected his bow and together, they made their way through the fallen city._


End file.
